Indian men’s recurve team of Pravin Jadhav, Tarundeep Rai and Dhiraj Bommadevara lost 4-5 to Mexico’s Matias Grande, Carlos Rojas, and Bruno Martinez Wing in the quarterfinals of the Final Olympic Qualifier for Paris 2024 Games in Antalya on Saturday.
The Indian trio had to finish on the podium to get a direct quota but this loss means that the team will have to rely on its the two spots which will be filled through the world rankings on June 24. Currently, the Indian team is World No. 2, the highest amongst those who have not grabbed a quota and is most likely to qualify.
The men’s team qualifying event saw stiff competition among 46 teams for the three available quotas. India was seeded first after topping the ranking round with a score of 2018 and got a bye in the first round. It beat Luxembourg 6-0 in the second round.
In the quarterfinal against Mexico, India squandered a 4-0 lead as the South Americans managed to take the contest to a shoot-off. Both teams scored 26 in the shoot-off but the Mexican team won the tie based on the closest arrow to the centre.
Bommadevara secured India’s only archery quota so far for the Games through the Asian Continental Qualifier Tournament in Bangkok last year.
In the women’s team event, the trio of Deepika Kumari, Bhajan Kaur and Ankita Bhakat needed to reach the semifinals to grab the quota but suffered a shock 3-5 loss to lower-ranked Ukraine in the pre-quarterfinals on Friday.
The women’s team too can make the cut for Paris via rankings. Indian team is currently ranked eighth, the highest amongst those who have not grabbed a spot.
The individual quota competitions will begin on Sunday.
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